International consultant to undertake research on unpaid care works in Timor-Leste

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. UN Women’s goal in Timor-Leste is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality as the country works towards sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development. To contribute the realization of SDG goal 5 - Goal 5 Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls and target (Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate, and Indicator 5.4.1 Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location) and to achieve UN Women SP Outcome 3: Women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy, it is important to understand the situation of unpaid care work in Timor-Leste not only to raising public awareness about the importance of the work but also to support the development of better care related policies for women’s economic empowerment. 

 

Unpaid care work is critical and underpins economic and social life in all societies. In most of countries majority of women and girls do the household work and twice of their time spend on household work, including work longer hours than men. Compared to the Republic of Korea, women in East Asia and the Pacific are carrying out five times more unpaid care and domestic work[1].  However, the work, too often undervalued continuously goes unrecognized in the development of policy, legislation and measures of economic development.

 

To identify issues and understand how each development sector impacts differently on women and men, girls and boys, in 2014, Secretary of St Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality (SEPI) of Timor-Leste conducted the country’s second  gender assessment (CGA)[2]. This assessment examines gender issues across the different socioeconomic sectors of Timor-Leste, such as health, education, work, and political participation. It brings together existing research and data for a comprehensive overview of gender disparities in Timor-Leste and presents a valuable benchmark of progress toward gender equality goals. It states that the government uses the definition largely based on international standards of the ILO and the United Nations System of National Accounts and the definition recognizes different types of work, especially between household activities performed to produce own consumption and those activities done to produce for sale. However, for the definition of employment (or labor force) adopted in most labor force surveys, people engaged in work solely for household consumption are not counted as “employed” in order to capture primarily market-oriented jobs and track trends in the labor market. This definition of employment excludes many activities typically done by women, such as food

production for household consumption or unpaid care work. Therefore, in a country where the population still largely relies on subsistence agriculture, as in Timor-Leste, the majority of women are not counted as part of the labor force or employed, even if they are engaged in household production activities due to unpaid care work which is commonly performed by women not  being recognized as part of production activities.

 

In 2020, with support from UN Covid-19 Fund of UN Secretary General, Rede Feto Timor-Leste members and its partner ARCOIRIS carried out as analysis on the on COVID-19 responses on women’s socio-economic in Timor-Leste. The research revealed that a gender lens is essential to the responses to the pandemic because women carried a disproportionately higher socio-economic cost than men and women are more vulnerable to economic shocks shaped by coronavirus pandemic. Different State Emergencies with lockdowns measures declared by the government since March 2020 in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in the national territory have paused women small business that brings food to the table. For some of the domestic workers, the pandemic has meant no job and no unemployment benefits or other social protection. For countless women in economies of every size, along with losing income, unpaid care and domestic work burden has exploded. During interview, women said that during lock down the workload increased because they had to do housework, look after school aged children that their school were suspended, and serve all the family members, including the elderly or people with disabilities, as well those who decided to join family in municipal to avoid the virus in the capital. The bulk of unpaid care work has impact on them to public services and social protection such humanitarian assistance and monetary support provided by the Timor-Leste’s government (to add link for Rede Feto research).

 

[1] UN Women (2015), East Asia and the Pacific Fact Sheet: Progress of the World’s Women 2015-2016: Transforming Economies, Realizing Rights, available at: http://www2.unwomen.org/~/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2015/poww-2015-factsheet-eastasiapacific-en.pdf?v=1&d=20151023T211444  

[2] https://www.scribd.com/book/363887437/Timor-Leste-Gender-Country-Gender-Assessment

Duties and Responsibilities

In order to support the national discourse on unpaid care and domestic work and promote decent work for women to support gender equality and women’s empowerment, it is important to address the burden of unpaid care work on women by understand the situation of unpaid care work in Timor-Leste, not only to raising public awareness about the importance of the work but also to support the development of better care related policies.

 

The objective of this study is to identify country specific policy gaps and recommendations for Timor-Leste, by using the methodology provided in the guidance note as well as relevant reference materials from ILO E.g. ILO (2019), (A Quantum Leap For Gender Equality: For a Better Future of Work For All) and UN Women (E.g. UN Women (2019), Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020: Families in a Changing World), while adhering to international standards set out in relevant ILO conventions and recommendations. The consultant support with gather data, map out existing policies, identify policy gaps, and as a result provide policy recommendations to reduce the burden of unpaid care and domestic work. The policy recommendations will take a holistic approach, including but not limited to the labour market, provision of services, social security, and social norms. The study will also take into account the context of response and recovery from COVID-19 and emergency situation such as floods.

 

The overall purpose of the study is to provide practical recommendations for policymakers to systematically and effectively reduce the unequal burden of unpaid care and domestic work, and improve women’s labour market outcomes, while proposing how to effectively improve existing social protection measures.

 

Under the overall guidance of the Programme Specialist of Together for Equality (T4E) and Economic Empowerment WEE), and direct supervision of the National Programme Officer of WEE, the consultant will focus on three key areas:

 

• Conducting a situation analysis of women’s unpaid work burden. The situation analysis will include quantitative information on distribution of unpaid care and domestic work, labour market statistics, and demographic trends. This section will also include qualitive information related to gender roles influencing women’s participation in the labour force. The situation analysis will also take into consideration the COVID-19 and emergency situation (floods) context, and how the burden of unpaid work has been affected.
• Mapping existing policies and gaps. These policies may have the explicit aim of alleviating the burden of unpaid domestic and care work on women, or being part of other national priorities, such as improvements in early childhood development and increasing women’s labour force participation, increasing productivity at work, etc. The mapping will include social protection measures and how unpaid care and domestic work influence their coverage;
• Develop advocacy brief and propose suitable policy recommendations for Timor-Leste to reduce burden of unpaid care and domestic work on women, while promoting decent work in the care sector. This will include a broader list of potential policies addressing the identified gaps, as well as a narrowed down set of suitable and realistic policy recommendations.

 

 

Scope of work and tasks

 

Task 1: Undertake a desk review of relevant literature and map relevant actors working in this field.

• Consult relevant literature including but not limited to the A Quantum Leap For Gender Equality: For a Better Future of Work For All, Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020: Families in a Changing World) , relevant ILO conventions and recommendations, the recent studies of unpaid care works in the context of response and recovery from COVID-19 and emergencies in Timor-Leste context
• Prepare a literature review summarizing the currently known context of unpaid care and domestic work and the care economy in Timor-Leste

 

Task 2: Develop a proposed the research plan including methodology, target participants, key themes, interview plans and questions.

• Develop work plan outlining the research methodology, list of stakeholders, data collection methodology including logistics for travel and translation as required. The plan should be realistic taking into consideration of COVID 19 and travel restrictions during the research period.
• Propose report structure to be presented in a workshop setting and approve by UN Women.
• Prepare inception report detailing the workplan, methodology and proposed reporting structure

 

Task 3: Undertake a situation analysis on unpaid care work in Timor-Leste.

• Collect and analyse data and information to the distribution of unpaid care and domestic work, relevant labour market statistics, social protection coverage, and how this has been impacted by COVID-19 and in emergency (floods/ cyclone) context.  

• Collect qualitative information influencing unpaid care and domestic work, such as social norms and workplace culture. This might involve travel to selected municipalities.
• Compile information on key stakeholders, including representatives of domestic workers, government agencies and CSOs that interact with care work

 

 

Task 4: Mapping existing policies and gaps related to unpaid care and domestic work, with policy recommendations

• Conduct research on national laws and policies, programmes, and services that are directly and indirectly related to the burden of unpaid care and domestic work, including social protection measures.
• Identify the policy gaps to reduce the uneven burden of unpaid care and domestic work.
• Identify the policy changes and interventions to reduce the burden of unpaid care and domestic work, while promoting decent work in the care sector.
• By the identified potential policies and proposed a set of realistic policy recommendations for Timor-Leste.

 

Task 5: facilitate validation of information and report the key findings

• Facilitate validation meetings on result of key findings to all relevant stakeholders including but not limited to government agencies, women’s organisations, Employers’ and workers’ organizations.
• Prepare final report on the findings of the research in a form ready for publication to a public audience. Appendixes are included for internal use only.
• Write a 4-page summary of the findings (inc. proposed policy recommendations) with key statistics
• Prepare a PPT of the process explaining the background of the research, literature review, process of research and findings, suitable for a professional audience. Include notes for a presenter to use.

 

 

 

 

 

1. Expected Deliverables

 

#	Deliverable	Target Deadline
1	Submission of Inception report	23 July 2021
2	Submission of report on a situation analysis on unpaid care and domestic work in Timor-Leste (6-8 pages)	13 August 2021
3	Report on existing policies and gaps related to unpaid care and domestic work, with policy recommendations (7-10 pages)	10 September 2021
4	Draft report in English on the findings of the research (18-20 pages) and a presentation of the findings to be presented to the UN Women.	1 October 2021
5	Submission of Final report in a form ready for publication to a public audience. Appendixes are for internal use only, 4-page summary of the findings (inc. proposed policy recommendations) with key statistics, and PPT for presentation	18 October 2021

 

All deliverables should incorporate UN Women feedback before finalization and all reports shall be presented in English, in electronic version.

1. Duration of the assignment

The total duration of the contract assignment is 50 days over the period of 3 months from July –18 October 2021. May include some travel to the municipalities as depend on COVID-regulations.

 

1. Schedule of Payment

Payment in full upon final submission and satisfactory outputs/products in accordance with specified requirements.

All the deliverables, including events materials, notes and reports should be submitted in written in English language.

Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment, the deliverables-related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period of the review is one week after receipt.

1. Inputs

• The consultant is expected to use her/his own computer and have all needed software for related tasks.
• Cost of mobile phone communication needs to be covered by the consultant.
• UN Women will provide the consultant with office space, access to internet and a printer in Dili.
• UN Women team will support resource materials, and reference documents as relevant;
• UN Women will cover cost of travel and per diem to the municipalities as relevant for the programme and upon issuing of Travel Authorization.    

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement

Leading by Example Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

 

Functional Competencies:

• Strong commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women, with demonstrated experience of researching or working on gender issues;
• Strong research and writing skills, with strong analytical skills and creative thinking;
• Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail;
• Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Previous experience (also volunteer experience) from the non-profit sector is an advantage.
• Ability to multi-task and address competing priorities
• Ability to produce quality deliverables in a timely manner
• Strong computer skills, including Word, Excel, and Power Point

Required Skills and Experience

Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the deliverables.

1. Required experience and qualifications

The Consultant should fulfil the following requirements:

1. Education

• Masters degree in Gender Studies, Economics, Social Science or other related fields

 

 

1. Experience:

• At least 4 -years of demonstrated professional experience in conducting economic development or labour with gender perspective. 
• Experience in conducting gender analysis and similar costing studies, preferably in the area of women economic empowerment and unpaid care work;
• Demonstrated knowledge on unpaid care and domestic work and its link to women’s economic empowerment. 
• Experience in designing policy recommendations in the areas of public investment, employment
• Experience working with international organizations or the United Nations is desirable.
• Familiarity with the context of Timor-Leste

1. Language and other skills:

• Excellent English communication skills are essential, Tetum would be an advantage.

 

1. Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application to UNDP Job Site no later than 11 June 2021.

 

   Submission package (mandatory)

1. Cover letter;

1. Completed P-11 form (available from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment) or CVs and copy of latest education certificate

1. At least one relevant sample of the research paper (applicant must be author or has written contribution)
2. Financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including any travel, per diem and administrative fees, based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation. The actual payment will be payable based on the stated lump sum for each satisfactorily achieved deliverable.

 

Incomplete submission package will not be considered for further processing.

 

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be invited to the interview.

Selected candidates will need to submit prior to commencement of work:

1. UN Women P-11 form, available from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment.
2. A statement from a medical doctor of ‘good health and fit for travel’.
3. For any travel outside of Dili UN Women will require the consultant to provide the certificate proving completion of BSafe training (see trip.dss.un.org).

 

 

1. Evaluation

 

Applications will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis.

• Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%]
• Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]

A two-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.

 

Technical qualification evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Technical Evaluation Criteria	Obtainable Score
Education	20 %
Experience and skills	60 %
Language and other skills	20 %
Total Obtainable Score	100 %

 

Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically-qualified candidate.

 

Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

 

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated.
• The total number of points allocated for the price component is 100.
• The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

 

 

 

 

 

Annex I: Financial Proposal

BREAKDOWN OF COSTS SUPPORTING THE ALL-INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

 

Breakdown of Cost by Components:

Deliverables	Percentage of Total Price (Weight for payment)	Fixed price	Due Date
1	Submission of Inception report			23 July 2021
2	Submission of report on a situation analysis on unpaid care and domestic work in Timor-Leste (6-8 pages)			13 August 2021
3	Report on existing policies and gaps related to unpaid care and domestic work, with policy recommendations (7-10 pages)			10 September 2021
4	Draft report in English on the findings of the research (18-20 pages) and a presentation of the findings to be presented to the UN Women.			1 October 2021
5	Submission of Final report in a form ready for publication to a public audience. Appendixes are for internal use only, 4-page summary of the findings (inc. proposed policy recommendations) with key statistics, and PPT for presentation			18 October 2021

 

The lump sum costs should include all travel and administration costs and expenses related to the consultancy. All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.